The Blog of BlowoutCards.com — filled with the stuff collectors are talking about

Earlier this month the late Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame but this past weekend the treasures from that career entered the hands of collectors around the world.

The auction of “Snake” Stabler’s personal collection of memorabilia via Pristine Auction ended on Sunday night with one six-figure item that didn’t reach its reserve and many others of note. In all, the auction generated nearly $200,000 in sales.

The priciest item was his 1976 Hickok Belt Award for Professional Athlete of the Year (above), which reached $107,427.60. It’s an honor that was awarded the final time with Stabler’s win and this is the first copy of the award to hit the open market. It’s an 18K gold belt buckle with a three-carat diamond, a three-carat ruby, a three-carat sapphire and 26 diamond chips totaling 5.5 carats.

The next-priciest piece to sell was one that’s probably a bit better-known to football fans in the South and Alabama Crimson Tide fans as well. It was the original painting by Daniel A. Moore of Stabler’s “Run in the Mud” during the 1967 Iron Bowl. Moore’s prints are heavily collected by many in SEC territory and this original piece sold for $19.489.22 after 26 bids.

Many auctions were for Stabler’s trophies with his The Sporting News Marlboro Award as the 1974 NFL MVP went for $8,769.60 and a rookie-season game-used Raiders helmet went for $$7,033.95. In all, 30 more pieces topped the $1,000 mark in the auction, while some surprises could still be found among the lesser pieces.

One of those surprises? An $870 paid for a collection of cassette tapes and mix tapes that Stabler kept for years, along with $540.79 for his 1968 wedding album with 22 images inside and $351.85 paid for a custom wooden box and his cowboy hat.

Below are a few more samples and sales prices from the auction.

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

Why was the sale of Stabler’s cassette tapes via auction at $800+ a surprise? (I was the winning bidder for the cassette collection).
My thinking was that his music was a big part of his life, the last minutes of his life were spent with his family listening to his favorite music.
There wasn’t a more unique and personal item of his listed in the auction…
Rest In Peace Snake